As published on www.fosters.com Wednesday, August 3, 2011

By DANIELLE CURTIS

ROCHESTER— Despite darkening skies and rumbles of thunder, crowds of people turned out for the city's National Night Out event Tuesday in the Union Street parking lot downtown.

The event is a collaboration between the city Police Department, Rochester READS, Bridging the Gaps Coalition, and other local groups. Bridging the Gaps Coalition is a local organization that brings together community members to bridge the gaps in prevention and early intervention of youth substance use.

According to one of the event's organizers, Jennie Seyer O'Connell, the coalition coordinator of the Bridging the Gaps Coalition, the night out aims to show the community that it is up to them to help prevent crime and drug and alcohol use.

"Both those issues are things that it takes the whole community to really impact," O'Connell said recently. "It's not just the police's responsibility to stop crime. It's everyone's responsibility to keep an eye on things going on in the community."

At the event Tuesday night, many local organizations set up tables to educate the community on these issues.

The Police Department had a table set up to educate the community about its Crimeline — the tool that allows community members to anonymously call in tips about crimes or other issues to the police.

At the Crimeline table was Lt. Anne Gould, who said she'd been to the event many times and believes it is important for the police to use the event as a way to get to know community members.

"One of the biggest things is that the youth in the community need to have a comfort level to come to the police with any issue they have," Gould said. "It's important for kids to have a comfort level where they'll come to us before they're at the point of no return."

 

Gould said it is also important for local parents to have a similar comfort level with law enforcement and know that they can come to the police with any concerns they have regarding their children's well-being.

"It's better to help a family at the beginning of an issue than that the point where it's out of control," Gould said.

Another local organization in attendance at Tuesday night's event was Youth Reach, an initiative that sends volunteers out into the streets of the Lilac City to seek out homeless youths or other young people in need of assistance and connect them with the help they need.

Jennifer Brooks, a youth outreach worker for Child and Family Services of New Hampshire who has been working with Youth Reach, said the group came to the event in hopes of raising awareness of the organization and the issue of youth homelessness in the city.

"It's a great community event," Brooks said. We just want to continue to be more of a presence in the community."

According to Raymond Pillsbury, a special education counselor and homeless outreach worker for Spaulding High School who is also a member of Youth Reach, said the group had seen a lot of the youths they already talked to in their outreach at the event Tuesday.

"That means our outreach has been a success," Pillsbury said.

Also viewing Tuesday night's event as a success was local high school student Katie Legace, who was at the event representing Students Taking Action in Rochester (STAR). Legace said there'd been a good amount of interest in the organization's table from attendees.

STAR is a youth empowerment organization that aims to inform high school students and other young people about drug and alcohol use, a goal that fit in well with the overall goal of the Night Out event.

"Sometimes in the media it seems like a lot of teens are using alcohol and drugs," Legace said while handing out candy and informational pamphlets to attendees. "A group like this shows that not many actually are."

 

Legace said the event gave her an opportunity to not only help the community, but help herself at the same time.

"As a high schooler you often don't feel like you can do anything," Legace said. "But doing this feels like you're helping out the community."

In addition to the various informational tables, the event also featured a tricycle race between police officers and local children, as well as a dunking booth featuring well-known city officials being dunked, including Mayor T.J. Jean.

Food and a kids area with bounce houses were also available at the event. There was also a variety of musical and dance performances, featuring students from local dance schools and summer camps, as well as demonstrations by service and police dogs.